Tulul adh-Dhahab
تلول الذهب | |
Tulul adh-Dhahab in spring | |
Tulul al-Dhahab Shown within Jordan | |
| Location | Jerash Governorate, Jordan |
|---|---|
| Region | Gilead |
| Coordinates | 32°11′08.3″N 35°41′11.8″E / 32.185639°N 35.686611°E |
| Type | Two tells |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic period, Late Bronze Age, Iron Age, Late Hellenistic period to Late Roman period |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1980/82, 2005- |
| Archaeologists | Thomas Pola |
The Tulul al-Dhahab (Arabic: تَّلَّيْن الذهب, romanized: Tullayn al-ḏahab, lit. 'the twin hills of gold'; Levantine Arabic: تلول الذهب, romanized: Təlūl əḏ-ḏahab) is an archaeological site in Jordan. The site features two neighboring tells, separated by the Zarqa River (the biblical River Jabbok), an affluent of the Jordan River. The two tells are commonly identified with the ancient Israelite cities of Mahanaim and Penuel, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.
The western of the twin tells was populated at least from Late Bronze Age to late antiquity, maybe beginning as early as the Near Eastern Neolithic. After the collapse of the ancient buildings, probably by an earthquake in late antiquity, the site was abandoned. Perhaps because of its name, some parts of the western hill are severely damaged due to recent archaeological looting.